Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-06-03
MAKING BIG GUNS.
An Engine OF War Which Mr.. Morse
VIII Give the GOYernment-NeW
Theory in Heavy Ordnance.
Extensive Experiments, Says he Gan
Beat the Bethlehem Iron WORKS.
Philadelnhia Press.


NEW YORK, May 25.-CyruS B. Morse
is the name of mechanical engineer who
Is Just now contemplating with something
akin to ghoulish glee the satisfaction he
will enjoy in demonstrating to the govern
ment at his own expense that they are
throwing away MONEY when they con-
tract for cannon that will be both too
massive and ineffective. Mr.. Morse has
reference 10 the recent awards by the
War Department fer guns. He is Of the
same family as the Morse of telegraph fame
and takes deeper interest in his calling than
is measured by financial results. He is
almost seventy years of age, tall and
spare, with full gray beard and sharp
gray eyes thet look out from behind a
pair of glasses. His hair is long and al
most white and fails cGreiessIy On his
coat. 81 began studying metals" he
said to me to-day, "when Seth Borden
commenced making malleable iron, nearly
fifty years ago. l have spent over 500, =
900 in making experiments, and I tniGk
that experience at that cost is worth
something, don't you?
"Well," continued ne, 81 propose to
use this experience in making g cannon
that L will make the government a pres
CbL O1s i NlOh hhhb Ah In u4t GIL
not hunting for q government contract
either. 1t will cost S60U0 or $1,000 to
make the tube, but if nothing goes wrong
l will have it completed in ninety Gays
and l know that it will prove g success. l
am going to Pittsburg next week to see
about the casting of my sample gun
If l cannot get facilities there
will have plant of my own. have now
%l,, S,F L,1N
near Pittsburg and on the line of the
Pennsylvania road. 1t is for a company
that is being formed to manufacture steel
as commercial article alone. We will
put up q big establishment as soon as we
get organized. am not afraid of gas
giving out. Even if it should manutaC-
turers would not 60 back to coal. I think
they would manufacture their own fuel
gas"
"How far have you gone, Mr.. Morse"
| asked, "in the matter of your gum"
81 have Just received the plans and speci-
fcations from the Ordnance Department.
You remember that the Bethlehem Iron
Company were recently awarded contracts
for making the new cannon. They can't
make cannon in that establishment,
though they say they will erect suitable
plant. 1t is significant that the contract
is not signed and that nothing further
has been done than the awarding of the
bids"
COSTLY WASTE OF MATERIAL.
In Calculating his method of casting
steel Mr.. Morse explained that unsound-
ness of ingots by the present processes
caused much trouble and the waste Of
great deal of material. The causes Oper-
ating TO produce these effects are, first,
want Of free circulation of air in the
mould, and the failure to ventilste the
core for the escape OF gases: second, the
generation of gases in the form of bub-
0les solidifying, and third, the honey
combing by uneven contraction in cooling
and the streining snd separation varying
the texture and creating minute cavities.
His process Is that CT pouring the metal
from the bottom around 3 core, per-
hitting the metal to cool, thus forming,
as he claims, solid, compact following
out of uniform density and gravity.
"There was not bid submitted to the
continued Mr.. Morse, $50
far as l can learn, for g hollow casting
for q cannon. They all proposed boring
e solid ingot and then hopping it to the
Now, | didn't bid, because l
bad no plant for gun foundry, but am
going to demonstrate that can make q
cannon that will contain less metal, cost
less and be twO-thirds more effective than
by the old system of boring ingots. l DO
not propose 10 hoop the muZzle' Of any
cannon that Is turned out under my su-
Dervision."
"What kind of metal will you use?" l
asked Mr.. Morse. "Opel-hearth Steel"
he answered. at is the only thug III to
ordnance from. They made
Damascus blades out of open-hearth steel, !
and no improvement has ever been made !
n them through hundreds of years,
though there has been upon the furnace.
Bessemer metal is worthless Tor cannon, /:
though it is the best 10 the world for !
rails. The trouble is that it has !
no settled standing and you
cannot count On it fer DEN
;ity. That is the reason why it is worth !
ess for ordnance. l have never made !
my cannon by this process, but l have
N order on hand for steel gun twenty |
eet long with two-inch bore. 1t is for 4
he holders of the Lyman patent projec-
lie, and they claim they can sink q YES
;el with the projectile from their gunj
line miles at sea with the gun on q dssd /
evel line. Their patent is on the eYrio- |
'ive snd cartridges, while mine is-on she